Delicious Home Cooked Food! We visited the Beacon Light Tea Room on a cold Saturday morning for breakfast, and I'm so glad we did! The staff greeted us warmly and the cozy restaurant makes you feel right at home. Their biscuits are small but tasty, especially when accompanied by their jams and gravies. I love their Sawmill gravy and I'd strongly recommend you add the hashbrown casserole to any breakfast you order. The coffee was fresh and my eggs were cooked perfectly. I look forward to returning! read more

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What a quaint find! We stopped in for breakfast on an early January Sunday- the holiday decorations were still up and it felt nice. Love the twisted break fireplace in the middle of the room when you walk inside. We were asked to sit anywhere we liked, greeted quickly and our food came quickly as well. A nice basket of biscuits came and we dove right in with the complimentary and delicious peach and strawberry preserves- both were so good. Our sausage and eggs came with choice of gravy and we bit went with sawmill, then out our sausage patties on the biscuits we still had and voila! Perfection! The staff were friendly and we enjoyed looking at the Bon Aqua and restaurant history via photos placed in the hallways . Very interesting. Men's and women's restrooms were clean, ample parking and a good all around stop! read more

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Was looking for a place for Sunday breakfast that was far enough to enjoy the morning on our motorcycle, but close enough to get home before the heat. Found this place and decide to go here to eat. The food wasn't very good and portions were small and the service well in efforts to be nice let's just skip that potion of the comment. But I was disappointed in everything from the biscuits to the breakfast. But hey you don't know if you don't try right? The inside was cozy with a down home feel but that's really the only appeal. read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - people sitting at a table - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

It's not what it used to be. It used to be good food, good portions, and an easy staple to bring a friend for some good southern cooking. Since covid, it has not really hit back to where it once was. It is unfortunate because this place used to be a hit with the chicken and potatoes. I used to like their desserts, too, but those have also gone downhill. I did see a couple of mice. That was absolutely disgusting. I get that this is in an old building, but obviously, you're not doing something right if you're attracting vermin. Take your business elsewhere if you don't want to have to worry about cleanliness with both food and the restaurant itself. read more

Well....the BISCUITS are flat, and I mean like crackers. The jam is canned fruit...mostly the water. And if you're claustrophobic....get whatever you want to go. read more

Worth the drive from Nashville. It's all good. Just order what you like. Friendly customers and staff.

Cool little spot with great ambiance and great service. The food, however, left a lot to be desired. Everything we had was both over salted and way over cooked. Such a disappointment. read more

Great service, friendly people, super fast food to table Eggs and ham were good (no not green eggs and ham). Pancake was excellent. Topped it off with a couple delicious chocolate chip cookies- probably a ton of sugar but yum!! Hash browns casserole was not my favorite but if you like that style am sure you would enjoy it. It was a 40 minute drive so I probably won't race back but if you are closer or driving by - you should stop in!!! Weekend breakfast. read more

This is great little stop. My husband LOVED his fried chicken which came highly recommended by some friends and the waitress. However, I had the chicken strips and they were similar to what you receive on a kids meal at other places. The biscuits and jam were absolutely AMAZING! read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - Biscuits and Jam. Heart Shaped for Valentine's Day - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

A rural Middle Tennessee jewel begun by the Loveless family out of Nashville in the Mid-20th century. Now owned and operated by Hickman County locals, the Beacon Light maintains, even expands upon generations of goodness. I'm old school in my southern roadside cafes and love the few that still serve breakfast through the day. Here is one of the best country ham breakfasts going-a full center cut grilled just right, with red eye gravy to boot. And the biscuits:OMG just the best, light not doughy and as many as you wish.Good coffee too. Chicken dinners and tenders are a fav then there are daily specials. Yep, soup and sandwich but hearty ones too--like meatloaf and two sides for under $7! Don't let the tea room designation fool ya--if you are hungry, the Beacon can punch your ticket too. Outstanding friendly service. read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - Dining area --clean and quaint - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

This place has a real heart. It's also a place you'll drive past unless you've heard about it and know to stop. NPT's Tennessee Crossroads (re-run?) put the Tea Room on my radar and I'm glad it did. The fact that I'm a food snob is readily apparent if you've read many of my reviews. I'm a country boy at heart with a love for great country cooking, but I praise when it's earned and punish when it's deserved. Beacon Light is off my beaten path, far from the city, and deep enough into county and country to be in the sticks. Thankfully, the kitchen is true to those roots. The tea room is the best thing I've found in years for simple, down-home, satisfying southern flavors and textures. The full menu was available even before 11 AM. Some of the items offered are old-school and traditional preparations that you probably won't find anywhere else (e.g. I've not experienced the syrupy compote/preserves in some 40 years...and nope, they're not fancy but, yep, they're a real thing on both sides of the Mississippi.)  My fried chicken order was perfectly cooked and the best I've eaten in DECADES. The okra was the most lightly and perfectly crisped I've ever had from any restaurant...and that's nearly unbelievable. The gravy wasn't my Granny's, but it came from a roux, not a package. I can live with that. Your mileage may vary as every visit to any place has its hits and misses. I'll look forward to coming back and miss this place until then. read more

Unbelievably good breakfast food is amazing. The workers are amazing five star all the way.

We went here for brunch on a Sunday and it was really neat! The front room is decorated rustic and was really neat and quaint. They have a newly renovated back room that is nice but just not the same. It's very bright and cold which is nothing like the front of the restaurant. The service was spot on. Our waitress was right to us with drinks and a basket of delicious biscuits. I had the pork loin and eggs medium with the hash brown casserole. The pork loin was over cooked but still good. The hash brown casserole stole the show! The biscuits are soooo good! They're small so you can take 4-5 down and not even think twice....HOWEVER- they must swell up because by the time I got home I felt like I had eaten 20 and had concrete in my belly! Ha! The man had the same as me but with the steak. It tasted good but was not what you'd think of as a steak. It tasted more like hamburger steak but was a very rich serloin marinated a very long time in what tasted like Worcestershire sauce. Everyone was very friendly and the food was good with great prices. Overall, we will be back many times!! read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - Biscuits!! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

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This place is the cutest! Great customer service with the best fried chicken I've ever had! Highly recommend!

Best food in the area I've tried so far. Loved the beacon burger and the mesquite bbq chicken is marinated to perfection. I would highly recommend this to anyone looking for flavorful food. The service and ambiance is just an added bonus to this awesome restaurant. read more

The Beacon Light Tea Room is a Bon Aqua/Lyles Treasure! The story of the light (which no longer exists) located across the street from the restaurant guiding airplanes between Nashville and Memphis circa 1936 before high tech navigation systems makes it even more appealing. But you really want to know "what's the food like"? It is delicious. I had a difficult time making a decision what to try--Southern comfort food at its best! What's not to love about mashed potatoes and gravy, homemade biscuits and jam, pork tenderloin and freshly made coffee. My husband tried the country ham and fried okra which were as delicious. Just like MaMa, they sent us home with a basket of biscuits and homemade jam at they said goodbye! Can't wait to try fried chicken next visit! read more

This place was a disappointment. We went last night with a group of friends. I had fried chicken and it was not what I was expecting. The breast was not fully cooked. Still pink with red in the center. I've had better fried chicken elsewhere. Nothing special. The mashed potatoes were instant and cole slaw was out of a bucket. Gross ! Canned green beans with little flavor and baked potatoes were all cold. My impression was very low quality food probably from Gorden Food service. The biscuits were the size of tiny cookies. Never have seen biscuits that were this shallow. No way to open to put butter on them. The Jam was merely water with pieces of fruit and sugar. Nothing special. I am sure this place is fine with local people. We will never go back. Also tried the coconut pie. It was the poorest excuse for dessert. Cool whip with dry coconut added to it. Horrible and obviously someone who has no clue about dessert making. We all agreed that the food was pure garbage. read more

We had the meatloaf special with beans and mashes potatoes. The biscuits were like small little cloud puffs of home made goodness, and with the home made preserves they became dessert. The service was great and everyone was so nice. The restaurant has a very homey feel. It has been here since 1938 and with food and service like this they will be here long after I'm gone. read more

This place never disappoints. Consistently good food, great service, in a setting that makes you feel like you're eating at a relatives home. The staff is attentive and friendly, and the southern hospitality blends perfectly with the "tastes like home cooked" meal. Well, to be fair, I can't cook chicken like that. The perfectly fried half chicken is a favorite each time we come. Don't miss this gem. Mostly locals here, you'll see why it's on their list once you've been. read more

The fried chicken is delicious! The biscuits were good but very thin. The preserves were also delicious. Very friendly staff! Worth the drive! read more

Felt like I was at a Sunday Family Dinner! Staff was so welcoming, incredible homemade food. Had the fried chicken dinner with mashed potatoes and gravy, corn and these biscuits that I am pretty sure I could eat all day. read more

Lovely restaurant & true Tennessee icon. Delicious food-classic Southern cuisine served by friendly, warm staff. Biscuits like I wish my grandmother had made. With spreadable butter & yummy preserves, eating these biscuits is like the best part of going home. Definitely worth a stop to this great family-run establishment read more

absolutely one of the worst meals I have ever had. potatoes cold hamburger steak floating in grease. total waste of money. 2 bites left the rest of it. took a long time to get this lousy meal. read more

No doilies and fancy hats just good food in a warm atmosphere. If your looking for darjeeling tea and watercress sandwiches keep driving, but if your in the mood for southern cooking stop by and say hi to the nice folks at the Beacon Tea Room. I started with a salad. It was a basic iceberg lettuce salad but the tomatoes and cucumbers tasted like they just came from the garden. The grilled chicken sandwich was tender and came with a combination of American and Swiss cheese, which wouldn't have been my first choice but the more I ate the more it grew on me. The sandwich was topped with lettuce and another of the home grown tomatoes that really helped it's overall flavour. I didn't try the fried chicken dinner but a few were walked past my table and they looked great. All in all it was a good meal but the biscuits and preserves were the show stopper, truly wonderful. They can give Loveless a run for their money. They even give you the remaining biscuits to go! The atmosphere is more down home than tea room with lots of wood and brick. The walls are lined with local crafts and jars of preserves so you can take a little part of your experience home. read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

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I've only eaten breakfast here. It's not far from my house, but pretty far from everything else. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth a visit. It's very quiet, small, and cozy. The staff is very nice and hospitable. I feel like I've traveled back in time to an old farmhouse when I'm there. They always give you little biscuits and jelly preserves to munch on while waiting for your meal. They are very good and the preserves are homemade. You can also get some gravy for the biscuits if you so desire. Everything I've ordered there has been great. My favorite is the pancakes. Very buttery and fluffy. I'd compare this place to the Loveless Cafe. If I had to choose, I'd go to the Beacon Light every time. The food is just as good if not better but the price is nearly half and there is never a wait. read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - The dining room - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

If you're traveling between Memphis and Nashville on I-40, you aren't going to find many restaurants with meals made from scratch. Fortunately, the Beacon Light has delicious homemade fried chicken and biscuits to help you on your way. These biscuits are so good that you can forgive the five mile detour from the interstate. Beacon Light biscuits are so small and round (imagine a soft pillowy Oreo) and are the type that when you eat them you start thinking about if you've ever enjoyed food this much before. I had ham biscuits, fried chicken, and biscuits with preserves. By the way, the preserves are thin by design--you want to bite each biscuit and then rest the exposed interior in a bit of preserves, which do a good job of soaking and flavoring the next scrumptious, shiny bite. My only worry is that there will be thousands of travelers between Memphis and Nashville that never find this American treasure. Today was my first visit--I guarantee I will be back soon. read more

This is the real deal. Totally worth the drive. Everything is made from scratch. They have a little grandmother in the kitchen cooking. They even had molasses for the biscuits. That's real old times country for those who don't know. The staff there is on point very attentive friendly and sweet. Be sore to tip them well as they deserve it!! read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - Molasses and biscuits ! - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

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Yummy comfort foods. Great friendly service. And the tea biscuits and preserves are the best! Been coming for years mainly for the biscuits! read more

A step back in time with friendly, Southern hospitality and great country cooking. Fried chicken from a pan and country ham with generous servings of biscuits for the table. Charming folks with great eats! My doctor is glad I don't live too close to it. So is my heart! We will be back. The 5th star is for the coconut ice box pie. Next time, I'm hoping for apple! read more

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THE. BEST. BISCUITS. PERIOD. also, some pretty damn good fried chicken and country ham. but back to those biscuits - so fluffy, flaky, hot right from the oven to the table. they don't even need butter or jam, but those additions certainly won't hurt. these are the biscuits you'll be dreaming about 6 months later. thank goodness i only get to eat here once a year or i'd need one of those rascal scooters to get around my local safeway. i noticed one reviewer was put off by the saltiness of the ham, but you need to know it is country ham, a salt cured ham that is always salty as hell. just put it on one of those heavenly clouds of a biscuit with some preserves and it'll all be just fine! speaking of preserves, the blackberry preserves are perfection, as are the strawberry. as for the decor, well, you've gotta take it with a grain of salt. the restaurant's original owner was seventh day adventist. yes, there is a ton of christian art on the walls (as i like to say, it's real jesus-y in there) and bible verses on the tables, but the atmosphere is warm and cozy. it feels like you're eating in somebody's grandma's living room and her niece is bringing you hot biscuits every time the basket gets empty. on my last visit i learned that the restaurant has been recently acquired by the cousin of the original owner. the food hasn't changed (if anything, it's better), but we did notice a slight decline in the amount of religious paraphernalia. will there be further changes? only time will tell... read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - biscuit perfection - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

Yes I'm eating at a family run, amazingly quaint place in the middle of nowhere that everyone should visit if you haven't. From the awesome and very attentive staff, to the simple country cookin' this place is the absolute tops! One of my favorite places to eat hands down!!! Try the biscuits they are so delicious!!! read more

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Beacon Light is the sort of place that one doesn't find very often because they tend to disappear. Rural family restaurants in the American South sadly fade away for a number of reasons, be it highways taking away traffic or descendants not wanting to continue the family business. This place has been serving comfort staples for nearly a century and is only a couple miles from a house where one of my Tennessee grandparents were born. This is the very sort of small country eatery that "southern-food" restaurants try so hard (and fail) to emulate. Do yourself a favor and get the skillet-fried chicken. If they're busy, you might have to wait a while; that's what happens when you skillet-fry to order instead of just dumping breaded chicken into a commercial fryer. Just sit back and enjoy those amazing tea biscuits while you wait. read more

Beacon Light Tea Room - Skillet chicken done right, and hashbrown casserole to die for. - Tea Rooms Near Me - Bon Aqua, Tennessee

Love this place. Recently heard about it and made a trip with some friends for dinner on Saturday. It's about 40 minutes from home. Southern food was great, service was friendly and efficient, it was a great visit. So great we took our boys there for lunch in Sunday a few weeks later. Food is home town favorites; we loved the fried chicken, ground steak, catfish. A great place for its genre, worth the drive and I recommend it. read more

My wife and I have gone there several times in two years. They have great fried chicken but the biscuits are thin and hard and the "preserve" are watery the rest of the menu isn't really good. read more

I looooove this family dining!! Kim is my husbands coworkers wife and she is the sweetest woman!!! The food is phenomenal, authentic home cook style cooking. Must try their fried chicken and mashed potatoes with white gravy. Their burger are HUUUUGE and very delicious, homemade style!!!! Can't wait to go back. read more

Food was amazing service was super friendly and on point. Everyone made you feel like you are family. Oh yeah the biscuits are out of this world AMAZING read more

Great food, super nice people and a really nice vibe. The bacon was exactly as I ordered it, and full of flavor, the eggs and hash browns were also perfect. read more

I have been to the Beacon Light occasionally through the years and was there on a recent Sunday evening. The service was good and the food was adequate for the occasion. We each had the fried chicken and two vegetables. I was surprised, however, at the preserves which instead of being real preserves were just a few pieces of fruit in a sweet syrup. Since both of them on the table were like that, I assume the recipe has been changed. It's just like pouring juice on your biscuit. The iced tea was not fresh; I would guess it had been made late Saturday and held over. I do hope the owners aren't trying to cut costs by cheapening the food. Raise the price by a little and serve the good stuff is my recommendation. The name, by the way, comes from a beacon light that was erected by the government in the 1920s to guide airmail pilots from Memphis to Nashville. There were many put up all over the country. This one was dismantled many years ago. read more

Oh, wow! The fried chicken is a MUST get. So good! The biscuits were also good. I got the (real) mashed potatoes and coleslaw as sides, and it also came with a side of gravy. The gravy was good on the biscuits. They had a meatloaf special that looked good. Maybe if I went there every week and got fried chicken I'd try something else occasionally. Otherwise, if it's your only time to visit, you really need to order the fried chicken! The server was also really nice and attentive, even though she was the only one working. It was a very pleasant dining experience. Well worth the 9 mile detour of of I-40. read more

Southern Biscuits, Southern Preserves and Skillet Fried Chicken....with lard. Yes! Lard! Biscuits: The Beacon Light's biscuits don't try to "get above their raisin'" and remain true to southern country biscuits (don't be looking for high falootin fluffiness here). They haven't changed the recipe in more than 80 years. They are perfect in flavor, and texture. One might think that cooking with lard would make these biscuits heavy or greasy in flavor and texture, but this is not the case at The Beacon Light. The lard in these biscuits imparts a wonderful flavor and gives the biscuit a light airy texture on the inside with a noticeable crust on the outside while remaining soft. When you add a little real butter and preserves to the top, it really is heaven on earth. They will keep bringing the biscuits, so go ahead and pig out. Check out my pictures and see the biscuits and preserves. Fried Chicken: Similar to the biscuits, the lard used in cooking this chicken (cooked to order) imparts flavor without adding any heaviness or greasiness. Instead, the lard offers a mild wonderful flavor that can't be found with processed oils. Not to mention, the light but crispy skin that it works on the chicken. The chicken is cooked to order and worth the short wait while eating biscuits. Sides: I've had many of the sides including the salad. They are all good but nothing really stands out, but they don't have to. Here, the main players are the Biscuits, Preserves, and Fried Chicken. Their menu offers more and should be explored. My other "go to" is the Country Ham, but it's really challenging for me to make the drive and not the chicken. Worth the Drive: I like Loveless Cafe (mostly because it's closer) but seriously The Beacon Light out performs when it comes to their biscuits. The Joint: This small humble little place in the middle of nowhere exchanged ownership a couple of years ago. It still has a family connection to the last longtime owner, but the new owner has done a really great job cleaning up the place and giving it a fresher feel. read more